Maiden Toronto
Iron Maiden / Halford / Entombed

Live at Air Canada Centre, Toronto: Aug. 1, 2000,
Show Rating: 5/5

Reviewed By Waspman

This is a tour that we've all been waiting for since 'Arry pulled the classic Maiden lineup back together. As for myself, well, I've been waiting to see Maiden with Bruce for over 10 frickin' years! I saw 'em with Blaze, and I must admit they really did stink up the place. But now, with Bruce (and Adrian!) back, I was salivating at the chance to see them again.

After a quick trip to Hooters for dinner (and the obligatory eye candy!), my friends and I got to the ACC just as Entombed was taking the stage. I've been a fan of theirs for awhile now, so I was looking forward to seeing them. Man, was I disappointed. The band had no stage presence whatsoever. I mean, they looked like a bunch of alternative whiners playing death metal. Except for vocalist L-G Petrov, there was almost no movement on stage. Their song selection was O.K., especially the dip into the (deep) back catalogue to play "Left Hand
Path." I wasn't too impressed with their new songs, as they all sound like Wolverine Blues-era outtakes. Still, the crowd was really into them and it was a fairly enjoyable 30-minute set.

Once Entombed left the stage you could just tell that everyone was awaiting the arrival of the metal god, Rob Halford. Hell, the place nearly exploded when the crew brought up his banner for the background. Finally, Halford and his band stormed the stage, tearing into
"Resurrection." At this point I noticed something that would annoy me for the rest of the set: Halford's goateed guitarist. The guy stalked around the stage like an idiot, pulling cheesy poses and walking around like a hunchback. Jackass. Anyhow, Halford played about 5 songs off his forthcoming album, and the all kicked major ass! Especially "Locked & Loaded", and "Silent
Screams." At the end of "Nightfall", the band segued into "The Hellion" and every single fan went nuts! "Electric Eye" was easily a highlight of the night, with every fan singing along (warming up for Maiden I guess). He also mixed in a bunch of classic Priest, including "Stained Class" and "Running Wild" (where the hell was "The Sentinel" or "Painkiller" or "Exciter"???) A great fucking set all around. Welcome back Rob, you've been "resurrected" indeed!

When Iron Maiden hit the stage, the place just went absolutely crazy! Every single fan in attendance was on their feet for the entire show. Bruce commanded the stage like a true professional, while the rest of the band took up their accustomed places (Adrian/Dave stage right, Janick stage left, and Steve roaming between). While the rest of the band was a thrill to watch, Janick was his usual useless self, flailing around like an idiot and every bit as horrible as I remember from the show 4 years ago. I mean, do we really need to see him humping his guitar against his amp? Really? No, not really. However, I will admit, that he did play some great solos which, on record, I would have sworn were Adrian or Dave. Anyway, the band whipped through the exact set that they had played in Europe, so there were unfortunately no surprises. Bruce was in top form and sounded as good as he did back in 1984. He even had his trademark rants in place, taking on trendy music, trendy people, loafers (the shoe), Talking Heads, and even the Toronto crowd! I quote:
"Out in Montreal and Quebec City we get 12,000 people waiting for us! Go out and tell the lame-asses in this town they haven't experienced real music until they've been to an Iron Maiden concert."

On a personal side note: FUCK YOU TORONTO! Only 4,250 fans showed up for this show. That's the thing that I hate about this goddamned city, everyone here is so fucking trendy and "cool" that they only go see bands deemed "popular" by the media. Fuck that, fuck image mongering, and again, fuck you
Toronto!

Anyhow, back to the show. The rumors are true: "Sign Of The Cross" is AMAZING with Bruce on the vocals. The man is GOD. It didn't hurt that he was crucified on a cross with angel wings that were eventually set on fire. This show was true metal heaven, classic songs, great new songs, fire, explosions, a full size Wickerman, and of course, Eddie! Easily a must see show, and one that I hope the more metal fans in Montreal and Quebec City enjoy! UP THE IRONS!!

Iron Maiden setlist:
1)Wickerman
2)Ghost Of The Navigator
3)Brave New World
4)Wrathchild
5)2 Minutes To Midnight
6)Blood Brothers
7)Sign Of The Cross
8)The Mercenary
9)The Trooper
10)Dream Of Mirrors
11)The Clansman
12)The Evil That Men Do
13)Fear Of The Dark
14)Iron Maiden

Encore:
15)The Number Of The Beast
16)Hallowed Be Thy Name
17)Sanctuary